Garden Memories
by Gesper
Summary: After almost a year, Heero returns to the Cinq Kingdom garden. But he doesn't know why he came back. Was it to see her? Includes flashbacks from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz


Garden Memories

SUP minna-san! Well this is the first story I ever wrote and submitted to any fic site. It was a spur of the moment thing, just like my Bloopers story was. Yes, I know it sucks, no need to remind me lol. Feedback is great as always. G2G Peace out.

Garden Memories

By: Krista of StarTress 

Seventeen-year-old Heero Yuy sat quietly in the exquisite gardens of the Cinq Kingdom, his prussian-blue eyes closed, his chocolate-brown hair flowing in the light breeze. His arms folded across his chest, he shifted smoothly against the huge maple tree behind him and lifted his face towards the sky. The sun peeked out from behinddozens of clouds sprinkled across the sky, giving it a light glow. _It's a perfect day, Heero thought to himself._

Heero stood up and started walking through the trees, avoiding the pathways inserted all through the garden. He knew that guards may be out on the paths, watching for intruders. And he didn't want anyone knowing he was here, or why. To tell the truth, Heero himself didn't exactly know why he was there. But then one face crossed through his mind, one face. It was her.

_It's been nine months since we've met face to face, Heero thought. __It's been so long.....Of course he had seen her, in the news, on television, on the computer, everywhere. She was, after all, the Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere United Nations. As she advocated her plans for peace through the Earth and the colonies, the press followed her. So everyday for the past nine months he had seen her, either from the press or in his mind._

He thought about the last times he saw her in person. One was when Mariemaia Khushrenada, Treize's daughter, and Dekim Barton held her captive in their underground castle. Heero had been in Wing Zero, shooting at the huge shelter shield covering the palace, even though he knew she was in there. He resisted shooting at first for fear of killing her, but then the picture of that little girl and her dog, Mary, that he inadvertently killed two years ago flashed through his mind, and somehow he fired. Plus, he could feel in his heart that she was calling out to him, telling him that she would rather die with the rebels than leaving them to live and succeed in taking control of the Earth and the colonies.

When Heero fired one last time, the palace blew up. Heero's gundam couldn't take the force from the explosion and the shots from lasers from the shelter shield covering the castle. Wing Zero tore apart and was flung away. When it had crashed, Heero jumped out and ran to the ruins to see who survived, if she survived. Or, in the chance that Dekim and Mariemaia were still alive, he would take care of them permanently.

As he ran into the control room, debris was everywhere. The whole room was torn apart. Heero looked up to see Dekim get shot by a loyal subject to Treize. He also saw Lady Une, and...her. She was still alive, sitting on the ground holding an injured Mariemaia.

_ _

_"Please Mariemaia, hold on!" He heard her plea as she and Lady Une both held Mariemaia to try and stop the bleeding._

_ _

_"Relena, I was mistaken. I'm so...sorry." Mariemaia quietly apologized, still in pain, with a serene look crossing her seven-year old face._

_ _

_"Mariemaia..." Relena smiled at her with everlasting forgiveness. Heero then stepped out from the shadows._

_ _

_"I'll relieve you of your pain." Heero spoke up from behind them. Relena lifted her head towards him. She and Lady Une were stunned to see him holding a gun, pointed towards Mariemaia._

_ _

_"Heero?" She said, surprised that he was even there._

_ _

_Mariemaia smiled from the floor as she closed her eyes. "I thank you." She whispered to Heero. Heero pulled the trigger; it gave a loud snap. The gun was full of blanks._

_ _

_Mariemaia's smile faded, her eyes slowly closed. She had fallen asleep. Heero had a feeling she would live after all. He just stared at her._

_ _

_"I have destroyed Mariemaia," Heero stated. He held the gun up and stared at it, then lowered it, closing his eyes. He started shaking slightly. "I will never hurt anyone ever again. I... don't have to...anymore...." He dropped the gun and felt himself falling headfirst towards the ground._

_ _

_"Heero!" He heard her yell, then he felt soft, protective arms catch him and cuddle him tightly as he fell into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was, "It's over, it's finally over..........._

After that, she had him admitted to a local hospital. But he had woken up a while later, and escaped. He didn't need a hospital; he could take care of himself fine. She always got so worried about him, which was annoying most of the time. 

The very last time he saw her in person was when she was giving a speech in the courthouse that he tried to kill her in before. Heero had been standing up in the balcony overlooking the stage where she was. As he stared at her, he observed her face, her actions. Total concentration and determination glowed from her glowing features; she had always been beautiful. After telling himself for the last time that she would be fine, he walked away. After all, her cause was what he and the other gundam pilots were fighting for, total peace, and he wanted to feel some sort of closure.

Since then Heero had aimlessly wandered the Earth, getting the usual odd job from now and then. He rarely kept in contact with the other pilots; maybe sending a card to Quatre and Duo once in a while (with no return address), because Quatre had always been kind to him, and Duo was just...Duo; watching Trowa at the circus whenever it had visited the town Heero was currently in; spying Wufei with Sally Po at public Preventer events. But he had never visited her. He still kept tabs on her though, and it wasn't hard when she's in the news a lot.

Heero's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice flowing through the garden. "Where are you taking me!" It asked between laughter. That voice.......

"Just wait, we are almost there!" a older man's voice answered. Heero recognized that voice. If that is him, than the other voice has to be.....

Heero quietly and carefully raced behind a group of huge oak trees and bushes, out of sight from the upcoming pair.

He looked up to see Zechs Merquise, or rather Milliardo Peacecraft (even though Heero didn't refer to him as a Peacecraft) walking along the path to the center of the garden, holding a hand up over the eyes of the girl he was with. Heero sucked in his breath when he saw her. It was Relena Peacecraft, or now as she had taken her adoptive father's name, Relena Dorlian.

"Where are you taking me, Milliardo?!" Relena shrieked as Zechs dragged her along. Since Zechs _was her brother, she referred to him as Milliardo. _

"Shh, we're here!" Zechs said in his calm, low voice, his long blond hair flowing out from his tan Preventer uniform. "Ready?"

"All right already!" Relena begged. She was wearing a white tank top with a soft blue skirt that ran down a couple of inches above her knees. Heero quietly thought it really accentuated her form. Her light-brown hair was cut down to her shoulders, leaving it straight and silky. She obviously didn't wear those braids or put her hair in a low ponytail anymore.

"Okay!" Zechs took his hand off so Relena could see. She gasped as she gazed around the garden. Heero couldn't help but smile as he watched her big ocean-blue eyes take in everything around her, the huge stone fountain centered in the pathways, all the beautiful flowers and wildlife. She turned around and threw her hands around her brother's neck, hugging him tightly. 

"Whoa, whoa!" Zechs chuckled unusually as she surprised him. Heero realized he had never really heard Zechs laugh before.

"Thank you, thank you!" Relena cried, then started giggling as he began to swing heraround and around. He set her down. "But, how did you do it Milliardo? It's so beautiful! When did you do this?" Relena asked question after question.

"When we started repairing the kingdom," Zechs replied. "I had a feeling you would visit from time to time, and I knew you loved flowers, so I had landscapers come in and rebuild the garden." 

Relena reached up and kissed his cheek. "I love it, Milliardo! Thank you for being so considerate." She started walking around. Heero was careful that she wouldn't see him.

"I still can't believe we actually had to _sneak in here!" Relena started, folded her arms across her chest. "I mean, this __is kind of a second home to us!"_

Zechs smiled. "Well, then you would have the press and all these people hounding outside the gates! They would never leave you alone!"

Relena turned around and gazed at him. "It's a small price for what we're fighting for." She slightly smiled and looked at the ground. "But tell me why _you can't stay here with me. Even though __right now this is a getaway vacation, you could become the leader and take care of the Cinq Kingdom since I won't be here as much. It is our father's country. And besides," a smirk cross her face, "You and Noin could have a __lot of fun here, __all alone...in this __big castle." She droned her voice on the last words and spread her arms out wide._

"No more of that!" Zechs folded his arms. "And like I told you, my hands are too..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Relena interrupted him. She placed her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out. "My hands are too stained with blood to lead this kingdom." She repeated in a low voice trying to mimic Zechs.

Zechs ran up to her and started tickling her. She laughed madly, begging him to stop between giggles. _It's hard to believe that they grew up apart, Heero thought. __It's just like they've known each other their whole lives. Zechs eventually stopped, stepping back from Relena. "Has anyone ever told you sarcasm is your best quality?" Zechs asked._

Relena licked her lips. "They didn't have to!" She smirked.

Zechs rolled his eyes in disbelief. "I can't believe you sometimes! For the Vice Foreign Minister, you are a she-devil! How do you do it?"

Relena glanced up at him. "I think that even though my role is important and serious to obtaining and keeping peace alive, you also should keep an open mind and enjoy life once in while!" She answered with the intellectual of a thirty-year old.

"Well, you _are only seventeen!" Zechs said out loud. Relena's mouth dropped._

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She glared at him.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Zechs said in his serious tone. "But in having fun, you still need to be careful. We may of obtained peace, but it's imperative that we keep it....permanently." He looked down at his watch. "I have to go. I promised Noin I'd meet her at the airport in an hour. We have another mission that starts today." 

Relena raised her eyebrows. "Noin and you, going away together, again? Where to now, Pluto?"

Zechs put his face in his hands. "You never stop, do you?" He walked to her and kissed her cheek. "I will keep in touch, my sister. I love you, remember that. And be careful."

"I will. And I love you too, Milliardo." Relena hugged him again. "And don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." She let go and watched him walk away from the center of the garden until he was out of sight.

Relena sighed deeply as she looked around at the vibrant flowers standing out from the trees and bushes adorning the pathways.Her gaze rested on a bench about ten yards in front of her. "That bench...." Heero watched her trail off as he too set his gaze on the bench and remembered what happened one year ago.....

_Heero was sitting on a bench in the garden reading a book he picked up in the Cinq Kingdom's library. It was a collection of views of famous writers from long ago and their thoughts of the world and space. He was so into his book, among the quiet reserve of the garden, that he didn't hear her walk up to him._

_"I thought I might find you here," he heard a voice from above him. He looked up to see Relena standing in front of him, smiling. "Relena!" Heero said in surprise._

_"Can I sit beside you?" Relena asked him. Heero uncomfortably tore away his gaze and built up his trademark defense wall around him._

_"It's your country, you can do what you want." Heero mumbled, keeping his eyes on his book._

_Relena smiled. "Guess so." She sat down and gazed at the scenery. Butterflies flew over the flowers scattered around the trees. She turned her head toward Heero._

_ _

_"Why you were kind enough to stay in my country, Heero?" She asked intently. "In the past you've would of gone off to fight battles." Heero looked at her out of the corner of his eye._

_"No matter how much I tried to stop you, you went back into outer space." Relena glanced at the ground. "But your homeland sure didn't treat you very kindly at all. It must of been so hard." Heero kept looking at her._

_ _

_"Yet, despite that, you continue to carry on fighting." Relena turned towards him. "You've got an intensity in your eyes that hasn't changed since the first time we met."_

_ _

_"Huh?" Her words surprised Heero, and caught him off guard. He didn't know what to say as he faced her. "I'm just...." A shadow fell over Heero, and he looked up to see Dorothy Catalonia standing in front of him and Relena holding an envelope._

_ _

_"Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting, Miss Relena," Dorothy smoothed. Heero saw through her sweet facade before, so he didn't trust her entirely._

_"Hi, Dorothy." Relena greeted. "Were you looking for me?"_

_ _

_Dorothy held out an envelope. "This is an invitation from the Romefeller foundation......._

Heero was snapped out of his thoughts again when Relena walked over and sat down on the bench. She sat there, staring off into space. "That day......" Heero heard her whisper. Did she remember it too, like Heero did?

Heero decided that he had better leave. He wanted to stop thinking about her, because it brought up all those memories: memories of her, of them dancing, of Heero pulling a gun on her numerous times and how she would just stand there like she was ready to die.

As he turned, his foot snapped on a stick. Heero looked down in alarm. _Oh great, he mentally cursed himself. Heero was always so cautious, never forgetting anything, always so careful. But when he's around her, somehow her courage and determination vibrates him to the core. And he was the Perfect Soldier!_

Relena perked her head up at the sound. She turned around and glanced at the bushes Heero was occupying. Heero sunk his head low, praying she wouldn't see him. After watching the bushes for a moment, Relena turned away and stood up, stretching her arms over her head and giving out a big yawn. She started walking down the pathway towards the Cinq Kingdom Institution.

Heero sat there for a few moments, making sure she was gone. He stood up and cursed himself again. _That was close, he sighed. __I don't know what I would do if she saw me..._

"AH HA!" a female voice boomed behind him. Heero literally jumped in shock as he swung around to see Relena leaping out of the bushes. "I've caught..you....." The smirk in her face disappeared when she saw the intruder. Her eyes grew wide in astonishment. "He-Heero?" She spit out.

Heero just stood there, not moving an inch. _Damn, he berated himself._

"What, what are you doing here, Heero?" Relena asked, still frozen in shock. "I-I never thought I'd see you again!"

He turned around to avoid her eyes. "Checking up on you," he mumbled as he started walking out of the bushes towards the bench and the fountain; Relena, of course, followed him.

"Why would you check up on me?" She asked, walking up behind him.

_ _

_Why am I here? "You know, you can be really naive at times," Heero ignored her question uncomfortably. Relena blinked._

"What do you mean, Heero?"

"What if I was a robber, Relena? I could of been a terrorist, or an assassin, or..." Relena started laughing. Heero turned toward her. "Tell me what's so funny, Relena!"

Relena kept laughing as she sat on the edge of the fountain, draping her fingers over the crystal-clear water. She could see lots of goldfish swimming around. "You haven't changed at all, Heero Yuy," Relena lifted her face towards him. Her big ocean-blue eyes sparkled under the sun. "Always pointing out other people's weaknesses." She chuckled.

"Huh?" Heero was caught off guard. He gazed at her, sitting over the water. She seemed to glow with a trance-like light. Heero felt an unusual urge to touch her.

She stood up suddenly, standing right in front of him. Heero could feel her breath flow onto his face. "Tell me Heero, have you thought about me as much as I have thought about you?" She tilted her head and slightly smiled.

Her straight-forwardness always captivated Heero, she was so strong. Even stronger than Heero himself. Treize was right.....

_Treize stood before him on top of the stairs. Heero still had his gun pointed at Treize, ready to fire._

_"Then let me ask you, who's your enemy? Is it me, or OZ? Is it Romefeller? Or is it your far-away home, the colony that has betrayed you?" Treize asked calmly._

_"Those who stand before me with the intention of killing me," Heero answered. "They're my enemies."_

_Treize sighed. "In that case, your battles will never end, since your enemy is destiny, itself."_

_"Maybe so, but I'll continue to fight. That's the only choice I have." Heero told him. "And I don't give a damn when I do die."_

_"Don't you have any desire to try and enjoy your destiny?" Treize asked. "In my opinion, Relena Peacecraft is a much stronger person than you....._

Heero stared at Relena, taking her in. He wanted..._what he wanted, was to..._

He thrust his hand around Relena's head and pressed his lips to hers. Relena seemed surprised at first, because she didn't move. But she gradually sunk herself into the kiss. Heero slid his open arm around Relena's waist and pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss. Her lips felt sweet, with a soft innocence. Her warmth welcomed Heero as she drew her arms around his shoulders. As he kissed her, a thousand thoughts flew by in his mind.

_ _

_What am I doing?!_

_ _

_No, I want this. I have always wanted this, ever since I realized I loved her._

_ _

_Wait! I can't do this! It will interfere with everything!_

_ _

_What "everything"? You're not a Gundam pilot anymore, you don't have to fight for her. She's right here...._

Heero kissed her more passionately, wanting to be near her more and more. He realized that he wasn't afraid anymore, afraid of love. He had always been alone during his life, with the exception of Odin, Dekim, and Dr. J., but he didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted someone; someone to love him. And through the kiss, Heero knew Relena loved him back.

Heero died down the kiss and parted his lips from Relena's. He lifted his eyes to face her reaction. Her eyes were still closed, her breath as ragged as Heero's. She opened her eyes and stared at him with utter confusion. 

"Well, that was....that was...unexpected." She sputtered. She was the Vice Foreign Minister, and she didn't even have anything to say! "But, it was nice," Relena said. Heero pressed his forehead on hers, staring into her eyes, those endless pools of ocean swirls.

"Relena, aishiteru." Heero told her, speaking in his native Japanese. Relena flinched in shock. She couldn't believe it.

Then she gazed into those prussian-blue eyes and it told her all the answers she always wanted to hear.

Relena lightly kissed him once more. She smiled as she pulled away, whispering "I love you too, Heero."

Heero took her arms and led her to the tree he had been occupying before. As they sat down on the tree roots, she laid back against him. Heero drew his arms around her tightly, resting his head on hers. After a while, Heero looked down to see Relena sleeping peacefully. Heero smiled and laid his head back down on hers.

"I'll never leave you again," Heero whispered as he dozed off.

THE BEGINNING........

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Well, I hope you didn't drool when you were sleeping through this fic. I'm sorry it is so long, and sometimes it drags on I know. I hope that Heero wasn't too OOC for some ppl. But anyways…..I wrote THE BEGINNING because I think that for Heero this is the beginning of the rest of his _real life, and not the end. Send me feedback! ^_^ *can you resist this face?* The more feedback I get, the more fics I will write! G2G for now…Peace out_


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